Fellow Scot Sandi Thom, who asked Leon to join her on her recent tour, remained upbeat about the decision.

She said: "By no means does this mark the end of Leon's career. The fact that a big label such as Syco/Sony is dropping such a major artist is a sign of the times and a reflection of the music industry at the moment."

Sandi believes the move will be a fresh start for Leon.

"Being dropped is not a negative thing," she said. "It's probably the best thing to be an independent artist right now. There are so many prospects for Leon.

"This marks the beginning. He'll go to some great new places and it'll be a learning curve for him."